San Leandro Police Chief Charged With Hit-And-Run

SAN LEANDRO, CA — Prosecutors have charged San Leandro's Chief of Police with a hit-and-run in connection with a crash in Dublin last year.

The charge, a misdemeanor, was filed on Tuesday, but the Alameda County District Attorney's Office scheduled a press conference for Wednesday at the René C. Davidson Courthouse to formally announce the charges against Chief of Police Angela Averiett.

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The charges stem from a crash on the night of May 19, 2025, when Averiett was driving eastbound on the I-580 Freeway, according to the KTVU.

Averiett is accused of clipping a woman's car on the freeway while driving in an unmarked police car with emergency lights on and taking off.

Nobody was injured in the crash. Averiett, meanwhile, denied knowing she had crashed into anyone and that she briefly turned on her lights and began trying to hastily get through traffic, including turning her emergency lights, because she was experiencing chest pains, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Those pains later subsided, she told police. CHP's investigation determined Averiett was at fault for the collision, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The Alameda County District Attorney's Office says it learned of the incident this year after it received media attention around March 31.

The office then requested the CHP report of the incident and decided there was enough probable cause to charge Averiett, prosecutors said.

"Our office has a duty to independently review the evidence and pursue charges when the facts support criminal charges," District Attorney Ursula Jones Dickson said on Wednesday.

It's unclear if Averiett will remain at the helm as she battles the charges. She faces a maximum punishment of six months in county jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted of the alleged crime, prosecutors said.

Averiett has been in law enforcement for more than 27 years, spending the majority of her career with the Hayward Police Department. She was appointed as San Leandro's Chief of Police in June 2024.

"It is an honor to be gifted the chance to serve the dedicated women and men of the San Leandro Police Department and the rich, diverse group of San Leandrans," Averiett said at the time. "I look forward to working closely with all of our internal and external stakeholders to make the San Leandro Police Department a pioneering model of contemporary policing for others to emulate."